Caring for the Sick
by xx'Gothic-Manga-Girl'xx
Summary: Roman is sick. Luckily his boyfriend Dean is there to take care of him. Dean/Roman M/M Ambreigns top!Dean bottom!Roman M/M (Don't like slash? Don't read!)


**So the lovely **_**chanelle31**_** asked if I'd do a request for her, which I was more than happy to agree to. She asked for some fluffy Ambreigns where one of them is sick or hurt and the other takes care of them, which is just about my favorite thing in the whole world! XD Sorry it took so long but it just kept growing when I'd think up these little fluffy bits and expanded on them further; it really took on a life of it's own.**

**I adore Ambreigns and I always love writing Dean with a softer side, especially when it comes to Roman (and Seth, when I write Ambrolleigns fics). This is AU because the boys aren't wrestlers in this, just average Joes, but they're still just as awesome and badass. I know that the request was for purely fluff but I can never resist throwing in some headcanon background when I write about the boys, especially Dean, because I feel it adds depth to the story and the characters. I hope you like it!**

**And as a note to anyone who reads this that is a fan of my "Justice & Love" series I am SO sorry that I haven't put up "Justice & Love 4" but the plot bunnies ran away on me and it's taking a while to get them back. I hope to finish it soon but I make no promises as to when it'll be done. **

**Disclaimer-**** My usual things apply: I don't own these utterly adorable men (and doesn't that just suck?) and this in no way reflects their real relationship.**

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><p>"Wakey, wakey Roman!"<p>

Roman winced at the overly-loud, gruff voice that woke him up and tried to hide his head under his pillow. The voice belonged to his boyfriend, Dean Ambrose, and as much as Roman loved him he _really _wasn't feeling up to Dean's usual antics that morning. He cracked his eyes open and peered out from under the pillow only to flinch as the sunlight caused his eyes to ache and his head to throb. The Samoan took a mental inventory of his body cataloguing multiple body aches, a sore throat, bone-deep exhaustion and the feeling of nausea on top of his headache.

The bed bounced as another body flopped onto it and a warm arm curled around his waist over the blanket. He swatted weakly at the body behind him, his hand brushing over defined abs, as the arm worked to try to turn him over.

After a couple minutes of unsuccessful attempts to turn Roman over and a few more half-hearted swats against his stomach Dean purred softly in his lover's ear, "Aww don't be like that, babe."

Roman pouted into the pillow before turning over to cuddle into Dean's bare chest, sighing at the relief that Dean's warm body brought to his chilled skin, "I'm cold..."

"Cold?! Babe it's the middle of fucking August and we live in Florida, how the hell can you possibly be cold?"

He shuddered and coughed, "Dunno, just am."

He was vaguely aware that his voice sounded like he'd gargled with nails but the thought was quickly forgotten as a cold shiver ran down his spine. His head was pounding as he curled himself further into his boyfriend's chest, trying to absorb as much warmth from him as he could.

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><p>Dean frowned down at the trembling frame of his boyfriend as he burrowed deeper into his chest. Tentatively he ran a hand down Roman's bare back, suddenly aware of the alarming heat radiating from his lover.<p>

"Baby there's no way you can be cold. You're burning up!"

Roman only made a soft sound against the skin of his chest in response, obviously not wanting to speak anymore. Dean had noticed that his boyfriend's usually deep, smooth voice had been raspy and weak when he'd spoken before which he took as a sign that he had a sore throat.

The blonde man gently guided Roman's head up and gazed into the beautiful grey eyes he loved. Instead of finding them in their usual bright happy state they were dull and glazed, showing just how poorly the raven-haired man was feeling. The Samoan man's usually tan skin was pale and his cheeks were flushed bright red with fever.

He brought a hand to the older man's forehead, gently stroking back some strands of dark hair that had fallen into his face, and found it hot to the touch. Roman leaned further into his hand, sighing at the minimal amount of comfort the skin-to-skin contact brought him.

After a few minutes of keeping his hand on his lover's forehead Dean moved off the bed. An upset little whimper escaped from between Roman's soft pink lips as Dean pulled his hand away, the sick man leaning forward to chase after it.

Dean couldn't help the small, affectionate smile that worked its way across his face at the action and reached back down to lovingly cradle Roman's too-warm face between his hands. He spoke in a low, soothing tone, "Babe I'm just gonna go grab the thermometer and some other stuff for you. I'll only be gone a few minutes, I promise."

Roman let out another small whimper but settled back down into the sheets without fuss when Dean gently nudged him backwards and watched his boyfriend leave their bedroom.

Dean was quite familiar with having to take care of Roman despite the weak protests it was usually met with. The older man didn't like to worry others and as a result often tried to hide an illness or injury for as long as he could, usually until it got too bad for him to hide any longer. Once he finally did admit to not feeling well he was generally a very good patient; he didn't complain or demand things, all he wanted was Dean to just be there for him. Although he would occasionally grumble about the fact that Dean never got sick to which the blonde would idly reply that he just had a stronger immune system.

Dean lightly jogged down the stairs and into their kitchen, shivering slightly when his feet touched the cold black tiles. He grabbed a couple slices of bread out of the breadbox and popped them into the toaster for himself; he knew Roman wouldn't be able to handle toast if his throat was as sore as he suspected it was. After he pushed the handle down he began to search around in one of the cupboards until he found a tray they'd gotten from one of Roman's cousins when they'd first moved in together and placed a plate on it for his toast. He then grabbed a banana from a bunch on the kitchen island and placed it on the tray next to the plate. Bananas had proved to be one of the few things that Roman could stomach when he fell ill; they were easy on his stomach and didn't hurt his throat when he swallowed.

Ambling over to the pantry, he pulled out a packet of brown sugar oatmeal and went about putting it in a bowl with water before sticking it in the microwave to cook. As he finished that up his toast popped up nice and golden brown just like he liked it.

He went to the fridge and grabbed the margarine and two bottles of Gatorade (the blue kind for Roman- because it was his favorite- and the red kind for himself), shutting the open door with his hip. He placed the Gatorade on the tray and opened the margarine container to spread some on his toast. He stuck one piece in his mouth before putting the margarine away and retrieving the oatmeal from the microwave. He placed a spoon next to the steaming bowl on the tray and- after making sure he hadn't forgotten anything- he made his way back upstairs, taking a quick detour into their bathroom to grab the thermometer and a bottle of ibuprofen.

Back in their bedroom Roman was pretty much exactly how Dean had left him: curled up on his side like a kitten, dark hair messy and falling into big grey eyes that were staring forlornly into the hallway, obviously waiting for Dean's return. Those beautiful eyes lit up when Dean walked into the room and the blonde bent down to kiss his sick-but still so gorgeous- boyfriend's forehead affectionately. Sick Roman was way too adorable and Dean loved the fact that he was the only one that got to see Roman in such a soft, vulnerable state.

He put the tray down on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to stroke his boyfriend's jet-black hair. Roman usually hated people touching his hair but he made an exception for Dean. Where Roman would shrink away from other people- that included his family- reaching out to touch or stroke his hair, he would lean in closer and cuddle up to the touches when it was Dean. The first time he'd noticed it Dean's heart had fluttered with an emotion that, at the time, he'd refused to call "love". Because back then he'd believed that if he admitted that he loved the beautiful grey-eyed man, he had more to lose when Roman finally realized that he could do a lot better than Dean Ambrose.

Roman was incredibly handsome and he was just an all-around fantastic guy who people were drawn to despite his very humble nature. With his looks and personality he could have anyone he wanted- man or woman- so why had he fallen for a guy like Dean Ambrose? Sure he was good-looking (if he did say so himself), he was no slouch in the exercise department either (also, his muscles- his arms and abs in particular- were toned and cut from the countless hours he spent working with tools and lifting heavy parts at his job as a mechanic) and he'd been told that he had a great smile on numerous occasions but other than that he didn't have much going for him. He didn't like to socialize with people outside of his chosen few friends, he had a short temper and quite the foul mouth, and he hadn't had the greatest upbringing- he liked to say that he was "raised by wolves" if anyone asked. He was the exact opposite of Roman Reigns yet somehow that wonderful man (who Dean swore was some kind of angel) had decided to give him a chance and Dean would be forever grateful that he did.

It hadn't taken long for Dean to finally realize that Roman was there to stay.

Dean had gotten used to people bailing on him throughout his life. When it came to relationships the point that his partners would leave him was once they were on the receiving end of his temper a few too many times they tended to walk away. Dean had lost track of how many times people had walked away from him, never to be seen again.

He'd also lost track of when he'd stopped hoping that they'd come back.

It didn't mean that it still didn't hurt every time it happened.

So it had come as a major surprise that after what was probably the fifth time he had snapped at Roman the older man has simply brushed it off and given him a kiss on the cheek, murmuring a soft reassurance about whatever Dean had snapped at him for then (to this day he still couldn't remember exactly what he'd gotten mad about that day but he couldn't bring himself to care much considering what the event meant to him).

And that had been it.

No explosive argument, ending with Roman storming out of his apartment like so many others had.

No tears, begging Dean to change before he ultimately gave up on him.

No watching Roman walk through his door, never to be seen again, taking the last piece of Dean's heart with him. (Because if Roman had left him, Dean was certain he'd have never recovered from that.)

Just a simple kiss on the cheek and a soft whisper of, "It'll be okay."

And that had been the moment he had dared to think- dared to _hope-_ that Roman wouldn't be like all the others. That he would willingly put up with all of Dean's crap and love him for who he was.

And now he had a gorgeous boyfriend who was definitely not going anywhere, not if Dean could help it. Roman was his life. His angel. His everything. And he'd never let him go. He had something that would make sure of that too; secured in a black velvet box hidden away in his nightstand drawer just waiting for the right moment to be presented to the love of his life.

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><p>Roman sighed softly, revelling in the feeling of Dean's hand running through his hair. Usually he hated people trying to touch his hair- he put a lot of effort into it to make it that soft, you know- but when Dean did it he couldn't bring himself to mind. After a long day at the gym, helping people with their workouts and such, there was nothing Roman looked forward to more than cuddling up with his boyfriend while the blonde played with his long locks.<p>

Roman could remember many nights where he and Dean laid together in their bed- both still catching their breath after some _night-time fun_- and Dean would wrap his arms around him, warm flushed skin pressing together, pulling him tight to the sandy blonde's chest as though he never wanted to let him go. It was in those quiet moments when Dean would begin to run his hands through Roman's long black hair and the soothing motion would eventually lull Roman into a peaceful sleep with his head rested on Dean's chest.

They were some of Roman's favorite moments that he shared with his boyfriend.

Unfortunately the peace was broken by his stomach suddenly lurching and he bolted out of the bed and away from Dean, into the adjoining bathroom where he barely made it to the toilet before he began to throw up. The few minutes he spent emptying his stomach of its contents felt like an eternity and he was barely aware of the large hands rubbing his back and holding his hair out of his face.

After he finished he leaned into the solid chest behind him, shakily trying to catch his breath and coughing a bit from the exertion. Dean reached around him with one arm, the other having been wrapped around his waist, and flushed the toilet.

"You done babe or are we gonna be hanging out in here for a while?"

Roman took a moment to consider that before determining that he wasn't going to be sick again, "I think I'm good."

Still looking a little dubious, Dean slowly helped his boyfriend to his feet and over to the sink so he could rinse his mouth out and gargle with mouthwash. Once Roman had sufficiently rid his mouth of the horrible aftertaste that came with throwing up they made their way back into the bedroom.

Dean gingerly set Roman down on their bed and tucked him in, making sure he was comfortable before he picked up the tray he'd left of the nightstand and set it on his lap.

"You think if you take some meds now you'll be able to keep them down?"

"I- I think so... My stomach feels okay right now."

"Well let's give it a few minutes. I don't wanna give ya the pills for you to just throw 'em up again in a few minutes."

Roman nodded and nestled back into his pillow as Dean picked up the bottle of blue Gatorade and opened it.

The blonde held it out to him, "Here. You need to stay hydrated."

"Thanks Dean."

He took a long sip from the bottle, blessedly relieved when the liquid soothed the ache in the back of his throat.

As he drank Dean picked up the other slice of toast still on the tray that hadn't quite gone cold yet and happily munched on it, all the while keeping watchful eyes trained on the sick man before him.

He watched Roman place the bottle back on the tray and heard a small sigh escape from between his lips. He grabbed the thermometer and held it in front of Roman's mouth.

"Open up, gorgeous."

Roman obediently opened his mouth, grumbling a bit around the plastic device at the pet name that had accompanied the order, and patiently waited for the thermometer to do its job.

The time passed in comfortable silence, Dean finished off his toast before he reached over to the tray to take a sip from his own drink, and soon the thermometer beeped.

Dean gently extracted it from between Roman's lips, tenderly brushing a soft cheek with the back of his hand as he did so, and frowned slightly as he read the small digital screen.

"102 degrees. Not bad but definitely not great, babe."

He placed the thermometer back on the tray then glanced at the banana and the now probably cold bowl of oatmeal, wondering if Roman was hungry.

"You up for eating that banana?"

Dark eyebrows scrunched together in an expression that Dean recognized as Roman's thinking face and there was a brief pause before he replied, if a bit uncertainly, "Yeah I think I can handle it. Anyways even if I do throw up again, it's better to have something in my stomach."

Dean hummed quietly in acknowledgement of that fact as he picked up the banana and instinctively began to peel it.

Roman blushed, "Y- You know I could've done that myself... Peel it, I mean."

Dean glanced at him through his wild fringe then back down to the peeled banana in his hand; he'd done it purely on instinct having noticed that, despite Roman's insistence that he was okay, his hands were trembling from the exertion of having run to the washroom and throwing up. If Dean had let him peel the banana himself it probably would've taken what little strength Roman had left right out of him.

He shrugged casually, handing the fruit over to his lover, "Yeah but you're sick. That means I, your loving boyfriend, get to take care of you as I see fit."

He punctuated the sentence with a smirk that he knew drove Roman crazy and was rewarded with Roman's already pink cheeks turning a lovely shade of red that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with his fever.

He snickered, "You're too cute, ya know that baby?"

Flushed and pouting, Roman looked so adorable to Dean in that moment and he couldn't resist leaning forward to press a kiss to those plush pink lips.

It was a soft, sweet kiss that lasted only a moment and when Dean pulled away just a bit he received the pleasure of watching Roman's eyes flutter open, thick black eyelashes parting to reveal dazed grey orbs.

Both men felt warm and content and the peace lasted a moment longer before Roman's eyes widened out of their hooded state and his cheeks flamed bright red once more.

"Dean, I'm sick!"

One dark blonde eyebrow rose, "And?"

"Y- You could catch whatever I've got..."

He grinned confidently and tapped the tip of the sick man's nose playfully, "Stronger immune system, remember babe? I could kiss you all day long and I wouldn't so much as sneeze tomorrow."

Roman shoved at his chest weakly, a small smile working its way onto his face despite his best efforts, "Jerk."

"But I'm _your _jerk, sweetheart."

Roman laughed softly and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's stubbly jaw as he cuddled into his chest, "Yeah, you are."

Dean kissed the top of Roman's head and watched quietly as Roman finished his banana then leaned over to take another swig from his Gatorade bottle.

The blonde grabbed the remote off of the nightstand and flipped on the TV; he surfed around a little before he found an episode of "Sons of Anarchy" and settled in to watch, keeping the volume low just in case Roman's headache decided to make a reappearance.

Roman curled himself into the curve of his boyfriend's body and didn't bother to stop the contented purr that escaped him when Dean began to run his fingers through his hair again. Dean chuckled at the sound and continued to stroke those silken black locks.

The couple lapsed into a comfortable silence, the only sound in the room was the theme song of "Sons of Anarchy" as the opening credits played, Roman's sniffles and the occasional cough.

About halfway through the episode Dean noticed a change in Roman's breathing, it became much slower and deeper. He peered down and saw that his Samoan lover was fast asleep on his chest.

Dean chuckled and gazed lovingly down at the man in his arms; Roman looked just so adorable sleeping on him. He brought a hand up to his love's forehead and was relieved when he felt that Roman was a little bit cooler than he'd been earlier but he was still a lot hotter than Dean would've liked him to be.

Shifting slightly, he decided that he too would enjoy getting a little more shut-eye. He shut the TV off and put the remote back on the nightstand so that it wouldn't get lost in the sheets.

He adjusted his grip on Roman, gently manoeuvring the larger man so that his head was on his shoulder and he could wrap his arms around his lover's waist.

Roman instinctively began to curl further into his side and cuddled his face into his neck, murmuring contentedly in his sleep.

Dean pressed a kiss into the dark mane of hair belonging to his beloved and whispered into the silence of their bedroom, "I love you Roman. More than you'll ever know."

The only response from the sleeping man was a soft, if a bit hoarse, purr as he nuzzled Dean's collarbone. His warm breath fanned over Dean's skin as his lips parted and made Dean shiver pleasantly at the feeling.

The blonde slowly began to drift off, thoughts of Roman's illness moving to the back of his mind as he settled into the warm comfort of the intimate embrace he was sharing with the person he loved most in the world, and he soon joined his lover in the land of dreams.

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><p><strong>And there you have it! Thanks to all of you who read this, I hope you enjoyed reading it. And to<strong>_** chanelle31**_**, I really hope you liked this!**

**Also let's all wish Roman a speedy recovery from his hernia surgery, WWE isn't gonna be the same without him around for the next couple of months. (But if you look at the upcoming events on WWE's website they still have Roman booked for dates on the European tour in November! So maybe Michael Cole saying that Roman will be out for "several months" was just an over exaggeration for the purposes of suspense? Wishful thinking maybe but I still hope it's true. I hope we'll get some answers on RAW next week in his interview.) ...**_**BUT**_** Dean is back and more unhinged than ever so we'll still have plenty of fun watching one of our boys screw up all the Authority's plans! XD And hopefully when Roman comes back we'll be getting an Ambreigns reunion!**


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